DREADWOLF

◈ Chapter 144:

The journey back to Warwick's place went smoothly. Most levelers seemed to figure that a large monster was not very likely to be wearing a giant bear plushie and just walking around calmly on its own. He was left alone, and especially left alone as they neared simply because there were so few people. Bean seemed to act as a natural geographic falloff, the nearer you got to where he lived the less people wanted to be around.

 

Rain looked for the right opportunity and stepped into the alley depths unseen. The stark emptiness of the place was almost eerie and he wondered how many years they had been abandoned like this. Bean had supposedly been around a very long time, many many years, and that was reflected in how unlived in the place appeared.

 

He found his way deeper and entered the building that housed Warwick's hideout? base? Wherever the grumpy leveler did his work anyway.

 

The stairs had been changed since Rain had last used them, the mostly shattered and broken steps replaced with oak and bracketed in steel, someone obviously putting quite a lot of work into replacing them.

 

His foot still went through a number of them.

 

At the top he found Opal fiddling with the doors, apparently she had watched Warwick carefully and figured a way to open the things on her own, that or she had stolen a key. In any case, her small hands worked quickly and she got through the first then shoved open the second door and rushed through.

 

Impatient, and struggling with the too small doorway, Rain forced his way past as he followed, knocking part of the door frame off as he stepped free into the grassy square that made up Warwick's home, various buildings surrounding the rooftop garden.

 

A startled Warwick looked between Opal, who was clambering up onto the outside dining table, and the giant plushie barging its way through his front door.

 

It only took him a moment to figure it out.

 

"Gods damned clumsy monster! What have you done to my doo-"

 

"We need your help." growled Rain.

 

"Help? I have an agreement with your master for Pickle to end your life. There was never anything about 'help'."

 

"If she dies you won't get me. The deal will be void."

 

Warwick blinked then turned to see Opal and Red together dragging an incredibly pale and deathly looking Lyra free of the dimensional bag and onto the table.

 

Warwick stared at the rapier that was stabbed through her chest.

 

"She's dead," said Warwick, his voice cold and quiet.

 

He suddenly turned and backed away from Rain. In the same motion his arms rose and a heavy loaded crossbow materialised from thin air and fell into his hands. He aimed it at Rain.

 

"Don't move an inch monster or I will send this bolt straight through your chest."

 

"It wouldn't be the first thing to be sent through me today" said Rain as he looked over Lyra. "She's still alive right?"

 

Opal nodded as she held her hand over the sheep girl's mouth.

 

"Mmhmm. Still breathing and beating."

 

Rain turned on the leveler. "You have treated severe wounds before. I know you've been at what you do for a long time and I've seen how many people are maimed in these slums. Florens' dungeon is so bad that you must have come across the worst cases over and over, therefore you must have significant experience and a supply of healing potions, potions she needs."

 

The crossbow lowered slightly. 

 

Rain frowned when Warwick didn't make a move to go fetch them. 

 

"You made an agreement leveler. And if you think a few potions are worth more than a monster like me then you are a fool. Even nobles would kill just for the opportunity to kill me."

 

"Agreement?" came a female voice.

 

A tall muscular woman wiping her hands on a rag appeared behind Warwick, her hair done up in a severe black bun, a heavy apron hanging over her front.

 

"What does this, whatever this bear thing is, mean by agreement Warwick?"

 

"Uh," said Warwick. "It's nothing, uh, we have… an injured leveler. An accident in the dungeon I assume, they've come for help."

 

The woman looked over at Lyra as Warwick gestured at her. Her brow rose in alarm as she saw just how dead looking the sheep girl was.

 

"So help them!" she yelled, smacking him on the arm.

 

"I was… going to do that. Gods, give me a moment."

 

"Moment over, get to it."

 

"I was-!"

 

Pickle raced past his leg, an open topped box filled with bottles balanced on her head.

 

Warwick looked down in alarm as the rattling box passed him by and reached out to grab it. The small goat child nimbly darted away from his grasp and jumped, thrusting the box on top of the table. She quickly scrambled up on one of the chairs and then onto the table top along with the box.

 

She raised her hands.

 

"Pickle heals!"

 

The woman crossed her bare arms, her biceps bulging. "A moment where Pickle moves faster than you? You're getting too old for this line of work Warwick."

 

Warwick scowled but then stomped over to the table where Pickle was picking up bottles one after the other and ogling the sparkling or glowing contents.

 

"Some of these are dangerous Pickle. Don't just be throwing anything on a patient. I've heard of a few times when a panicked leveler confused a bottle of acid with a healing potion and made their injured comrade's wound fatal."

 

Pickle blinked up at him, then looked at the bubble filled bottle she held. She shook it cautiously, as if half expecting it to explode.

 

"Don't do that."

 

Warwick plucked a pair of more normal looking potions up and approached Lyra. As he did so Red tapped the last of the stolen healing potion into her wound. He gave the Kobold a curious look as it was his first time seeing him but then moved onto the patient's wound.

 

He leaned in close and moved his head side to side, judging where the blade was placed.

 

"This is… The blade is actually in her heart? And she lives?"

 

"Yeah, don't you think? look where it is."

 

He gave Opal a sour look but visibly forced his dislike of speaking with monsters down for the patient's sake.

 

"I've only heard of this happening once before. They died. But in theory it should be possible to save her. The heart isn't special like most priests would tell you, it's just a big lump of muscle and flesh, something healing potions are pretty good with."

 

"Yeah? So we can just yank it out right?"

 

"I really wouldn't recommend it. The heart isn't the only issue here."

 

"We were told removing it while pouring lots of healing potions over it would work," gravelled rain.

 

Warwick raised an eyebrow. "Well they told you right, or close enough. But that is far easier said than done."

 

He hesitated then handed a potion to Opal. Then after a moment, handed the other to Red.

 

"You want her to live then you will do as I say. Kobold, you pour yours on her back. Goblin, you pour yours on her chest. I'll drag the blade free. Pickle you keep 'em supplied, you know what the healing ones look like now right?"

 

Pickle nodded furiously, already holding several bottles ready in her arms.

 

"It's Red, actually, not, 'Kobold'," sniffed Red as he crouched down behind Lyra's back as she lay on her side.

 

"That's nice." said Warwick, not even looking in his direction.

 

He placed one hand on Lyra's sternum, then wrapped the other around the handle of the rapier.

 

"On three, two, -"

 

He began to apply pressure, slowly easing the blade from her as Opal and Red frantically splashed potion at her wound.

 

Inch by gradual inch the blade eased free, Warwick occasionally stopping to check she was still alive. 

 

"It's going in," cried Red as the steel tip disappeared past the skin of her back and the potion began to heal it over.

 

"Good, move up to her head and start pouring that thing down her neck, I-

 

He stopped moving suddenly, his eyes snapping down to her chest.

 

"What is it?" gravelled Rain.

 

"Her heart stopped."

 

"What do you mean her heart stopped?" cried Opal.

 

"It's just as I said, it's no longer beating."

 

"If she dies leveler, I will end you."

 

"Shut up. Pickle, pass the box, quickly, quickly!"

 

The box was dragged over by a fearful Pickle and Warwick darted his hand amongst the bottles, scattering several across the table top as he looked for what he needed. He plucked a bottle the size of a thimble from the box, the thing glowing and crackling with light, then he turned, flicked off the cap and splashed the continents over Lyra's front.

 

She jerked, convulsing as visible lightning rolled up and down her body, her back arching.

 

"What are you doing to her?!"

 

"Forcing her heart to beat, making her breathe. Watch."

 

A choked gasp came from Lyra's lips after a moment and her back eased.

 

"More potion, quickly damn you!"

 

The others got back to work furiously dumping potion on the sheep girl as Warwick hauled on the blade, pulling and then tugging at it, scraping past the bone of her ribs as the slim steel was finally ripped from her chest, a thin line of blood flung over the grass as the bloodied blade whipped free.

 

Opal and Red and Pickle descended on the wound, pushing her on her back and jamming multiple bottles of potion down her throat at the same time and pouring the stuff liberally over her chest.

 

"Hey hey I'm not made of money! She's got enough! She's done!" bellowed Warwick.

 

They pulled back as Lyra rolled onto her side and vomited up unused healing potion all over the table.

 

"Bwaarghrghrghrghlllll!"

 

She flopped back breathing hard, her cheeks rapidly washing from pale like death to red with exertion.

 

"What. The fuck." she groaned.

 

Pickle yelled happily and leapt into the air, belly flopping onto Lyra's stomach.

 

"OOF! What the furcckkkk!" Gasped Lyra as the wind was knocked out of her and she curled up.

 

She grabbed hold of the snow white goat child wiggling against her and tried to push her off. Pickle was having none of it and wiggled harder.

 

"Pickle! Geroffoutofit!" snapped Warwick and the child finally fell back allowing Lyra to sit up.

 

"I… feel like shit." She blinked and looked down at her chest, a hand raising to grasp at a phantom rapier that was no longer there.

 

"You nearly died," said Rain.

 

"Oh." She hesitantly pressed a hand against her front, the wound gone, not even a scar. "Hey, I guess I'm like you."

 

Rain tilted his head.

 

"You're the one who usually gets horribly wounded. Guess it had to happen to me sometime…" she smiled weakly. "Karma for murdering a Lord of the city. I'm a real m-murderer now."

 

"I'm going to be real with you sheepy. You didn't do much." 

 

"Hu-wha-? I freaking stabbed him to death!"

 

"Yeah, after he was turned into mash potato by Rain here. He was gonna die no matter what."

 

"I- whatever! That doesn't matter, I dealt the final blow, my kill!" she almost sounded annoyed with the goblin.

 

Opal scratched her nose and shrugged. "He wasn't very strong for a supposed tip top elite noble leveler once Rain got hold of him," she snapped her fingers together, "He got turned into a boneless whip like that."

 

Warwick looked between the two girls, seeming alarmed.

 

"What- who do you mean by… elite noble leveler…? You don't mean..."

 

The pair flatly ignored him.

 

"He was pretty strong Opal. Being able to stop living things in place. Do you have any idea how insane of an advantage that is while leveling in a dungeon, or when dueling other levelers, or- or doing anything! I don't know, stealing treasure? or assassinating people?"

 

"Freeze a monster and pincushion them with fireballs that can punch through anything," said Rain. "That's more dangerous than any brute strength, more than any simple magic." The plushie bear head turned to Opal. "Without you we all would have died. You know that right?"

 

Opal blinked. "Okay I changed my mind. He was the most dangerous leveler in existence and I am a legendary Gobbo Hero. Quick! We need to get this written down, this is way better than those shitty leveler books in the library!"

 

"You're not writing down our crime as evidence Opal!"

 

"Find me pens! paper!"

 

"Opal!"

 

Warwick's expression became increasingly concerned.

 

"It's a good thing I nurture a small hatred for the nobility girl or I would be doing something you wouldn't like after what I just heard. Still, if you bring down the nobility on my family's heads, I-"

 

"Oh that'll never happen. It should be fine. Probably."

 

Warwick did not look particularly satisfied with that answer.